Of a custodian.

Sure, it's listed as one of the dirtier jobs a person can have. And the whole 5-8 AM shift isn't the most pleasant experience in the world. But on our crew, janitor work has its perks...

First thing you need to know about is our boss, Marcus. He's pretty chill, and has a sense of humor. In addition, my partner Hannah and I clean the stairs, so we could be at literally any place in the building at any given time. These two factors open a world of possibilities.

Every Friday, we have "meetings". From what I understand, these started out being productive consultations during which employees genuinely discussed ways to improve the quality of their work. As time went on, presentations arose that were related to, but less than serious about work. For example, an entire presentation on which water fountain was the best in the whole building, or a satirical training session on our new personal protective equipment - nose plugs. Eventually the meetings turned into an excuse to get out of work for a half hour, joke around, and watch youtube videos.

These meetings have helped to develop a camaraderie among the crew members. And since we're all friends, well, there have to be some jokes, right? Namely, practical jokes. Mostly it's simple things (hiding in stalls to scare the bathroom crew, etc.) but once in a while we try to throw in something a little more developed.  Yesterday, this involved flooding the bathroom with balloons, which would need to be popped and cleared out before anyone would be able to clean the bathroom.

I'd say the whole operation was a success. Even though it didn't really create the annoyance we were going for, bathroom crew had a blast playing with them so whatevs.

So yeah, the little pranks here and there are fun, but the best perk by far of the early morning custodial job is all of the exploration prospects. Our keys let us through most doors and there are never too many people around to monitor activity, so we've made all kinds of discoveries, from storage attics to pulleys in the basement. But my favorite by far is watching sunrises from the roof.

You gotta admit, it's a spectacular view :)

Next week we're playing "Clue" while working. It should be interesting, or at the very least a fun "last memory" to have. Don't get me wrong, I'm stoked to switch to a later shift. I'm just gonna miss my crew. Funny how quickly things change. Funny how something that seems a curse to everyone else, and even seemed a curse to you once, can end up being the best part of your day. Huh. What fickle creatures we are.